Whistle Pig Farm co-owner Holly Riordan with Iris (left) and Rosie, who were both successfully placed in a “forever home” after their stay at the Mount Desert Island animal sanctuary. Riordan said she and her husband Jamie Riordan are looking forward to moving their farm to Alna in the spring. “We just want to embrace the community,” she said. (Courtesy photo)
Eight years after they established an equine education and rehabilitation sanctuary on Mount Desert Island, Holly and Jamie Riordan are ready to branch out and bring their knowledge, passion, and commitment to Alna.
Since selling the MDI property in September 2024, the Riordans have been planning to move Whistle Pig Farm to 1828 Alna Road, with their arrival tentatively scheduled for mid-March.
After almost a decade of living on MDI and three years of searching for the perfect property, the Riordans said they are ready to be part of a larger community again.
“We miss people,” Holly Riordan said. “We want to get closer to humanity.”
The Riordans, who moved from Maryland in 2017, first came to the Mount Desert Island farm to care for Jamie’s mother, who owned the property at 72 Bartlett’s Landing Road. After her passing, the pair vowed to maintain the farm and continue its tradition of giving back to the community, a commitment that has been upheld since the farm was first built in 1818.
“I said, ‘This (farm) is made for horses,’” said Holly Riordan. “I want to educate people on the importance of the horse … helping horses help people.”
In 2017, the Riordans established Whistle Pig Farm, a registered animal shelter in the state of Maine, and Whistle Pig Animal Welfare Service Corporation, a nonprofit dedicated to education, equine rescue, rehabilitation, and placement to qualified homes.
Despite her mother’s aversion to the creature, Holly Riordan grew up with a love for horses, often visiting the ones her grandmother owned. She said the more her mother discouraged her from loving horses, the more she was attracted to them.
Holly Riordan (left) and Jamie Riordan will move their animal rescue sanctuary, Whistle Pig Farm, from Mount Desert Island to Alna in the spring. Established in 2017, Whistle Pig Farm will continue its legacy of education and rehabilitation at 1828 Alna Road. (Courtesy photo)
“You look into the eyes of a horse … And you can see what’s important,” Holly Riordan said. “Something about a horse, I cannot explain it … There’s a magic.”
The couple has worked closely with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry’s animal welfare program, they said, providing sanctuary services while judicial seizure cases are pending and finding permanent homes for equines following court-mandated surrenders.
“For all of them, despite the level of mistreatment … They have a tremendous capacity for forgiveness,” Holly Riordan said.
After they settled into their new venture, Mount Desert Island residents and visitors began inquiring about horseback riding and other equine activities for kids.
With her love for horses and his background in farming, Holly and Jamie Riordan put their heads together and created a space where others can not only learn about composting and farm life, but what it means to be a good steward of the land.
Over the years, the couple has implemented summer and after-school programs, environmental education programs, and programs for at-risk youth. The sanctuary is also home to a commercial flower farm.
“We’re go getters, and we’re older, and we have vision,” said Holly Riordan. “If you can dream it, you can do it, and if you do it, you better do it big.”
The couple said they’re excited to continue their work and to share it with the Alna community.
“Our hearts are so into this, and it’s so wasted (on Mount Desert Island), because it’s basically a two-month community up here,” said Holly Riordan. “If you were down in a community that had a little more population, you could touch more people.”
“It really comes from the standpoint of sharing our land with others,” said Jamie Riordan. “I think there’s a great tradition of that in Alna.”
Holly Riordan said she is looking forward to planting flowers on the Alna Road property, specifically dahlias. Jamie Riordan said the couple will be accompanied by four horses that are currently in their care.
For more information, call 410-336-1228, email info@whistlepigrescue.com, go to whistlepigrescue.com, or find Whistle Pig Farm on Facebook and Instagram.
